Real Brownfields Deserve Dollars I
read with interest the story on Brownfield development dollars in the
July 20 issue. I applaud Dan Lathrop and other county commissioners who
voted “No” on the Randolph Street project...

Hopping Mad Carlin
Smith is hopping mad (“Will You Get Mad With Me?” 7-20-15). Somebody
filed a fraudulent return using his identity, and he’s not alone. The AP
estimates the government “pays more than $5 billion annually in
fraudulent tax refunds.” Well, many of us have been
hopping mad for years. This is because the number one tool Congress has
used to fix this problem has been to cut the IRS budget –by $1.2 billion
in the last 5 years...

Just Grumbling, No Solutions Mark
Pontoni’s grumblings [recent Northern Express column] tell us much
about him and virtually nothing about those he chooses to denigrate. We
do learn that Pontoni may be the perfect political candidate. He’s
arrogant, opinionated and obviously dimwitted...

A Racist Symbol I
have to respond to Gordon Lee Dean’s letter claiming that the
confederate battle flag is just a symbol of southern heritage and should
not be banned from state displays. The heritage it represents was the
treasonous effort to continue slavery by seceding from a democratic
nation unwilling to maintain such a consummate evil...

Not So Thanks I
would like to thank the individual who ran into and knocked over my
Triumph motorcycle while it was parked at Lowe’s in TC on Friday the
24th. The $3,000 worth of damage was greatly appreciated. The big dent
in the gas tank under the completely destroyed chrome badge was an
especially nice touch...

Robbing the vote We’re
all, regardless of party affiliation, small-d democrats, that is,
staunch defenders of the Constitution and its democratic principles. Let’s look at the actual state of one principle, majority rule. In
the 2012 Michigan election 352,000 MORE voters voted for Democrats
(54%, actually) to be in our House than voted for Republicans. Because
of Republican gerrymandering, though, Republicans control the state
House. The minority rules...

Money talks in Congress Stephen
Tuttle’s column bemoaning the lack of attention paid by elected
officials to will of the people forgets one important point. I think
it’s made clear in a line from the film, Charlie Wilson’s War: “The hell with the voters, all I care about are the donors”...

It’s
true that Obamacare led my daughter’s insurance company to decide to
drop her plan. But guess what? Thanks to Obamacare, she will be getting
better coverage from the same company at lower cost...

GOP’s desperate attacks

An
irony in the monumental fight over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is
that most Democrats prefer a single-payer system (Medicare-For-All),
demonstrably the most efficient and economical method of healthcare
delivery...

Guns & screwdrivers

Recently,
I bought a gun at a sporting good store that required a background
check that took about 3 minutes. The next day I stood in line at Sears
about 5 minutes to buy a screwdriver set that was on sale...

Mandela's legacy

Nelson
Mandela is being acclaimed worldwide for his role in managing the
peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa. Without
Mandela, South Africa would have otherwise become a bloodbath...